7 CMS Platforms for Hyperlocal Publishers

Behind every successful hyperlocal news website is a robust content management system. Although many publishers have adapted general-purpose systems like WordPress and Drupal to meet their needs — and others, like Patch and Sacramento Press, have built their owntechnology platforms from scratch — new CMS platforms are being developed specifically with the needs of local and regional publishers in mind. By doing away with plug-ins and themes that aren’t essential for media publications, the creators of these CMS platforms are making it easier for publishers to launch and manage their own hyperlocal sites.

Here are seven CMS platforms that publishers can use to run local news websites.

2. WhichBox
WhichBox is a content creation and management system that offers turn-key solutions for publishers and media companies. The platform’s “organic storytelling” tools allow users to create their own content using text, videos, and photos. WhichBox is fully-integrated with an ad serving platform, e-commerce tools, and third-party email marketing applications. TownSquareBuzz.com is built on WhichBox’s publishing platform. Publishing partners pay a one-time implementation fee, which varies based on the amount of customization needed, along with a monthly fee of $1,995.

3. VeriLocal
Local publishers with sites in multiple markets can publish content in hundreds of communities simultaneously using VeriLocal’s content management system. Contributors can publish all types of content—including written posts, videos, and photos — from their iPhones and iPod Touch devices, while publishers can focus on ad sales creation and distribution. VeriLocal publishers include Grassroots News International. The company says it can lower a publisher’s admin costs by up to 80 percent.

4. Godengo
Regional magazine publishers looking for a better way to bring their print content online can use Godengo’s Rivista content management system to manage and distribute their content on the web. Rivista’s suite of tools facilitate advanced content tagging, user commenting, polling, reader blogs, and surveys. Regional publications currently using Godengo’s Rivista platform include Sun Valley Magazine and Aspen Sojourner. Godengo says most publishing partners experience a 25% to 125% increase in traffic in the first six-months after launching with its platform.

5. VillageSoup
VillageSoup offers platform licensing for hyperlocal publishers. The company’s platform works by using a series of modules that allow reporters to post their own stories, while also helping publishers create and manage community forums and commenting features. VillageSoup’s enterprise edition offers four methods of revenue generation for publishers: memberships, web ads, classifieds, and real estate listings. Participating sites include The Republican Journal and Fairfield Ledger. Publishers who opt to use VillageSoups’ enterprise edition can license the company’s software as needed, rather than purchasing it outright.

6. Radiate Media
Community newspaper publishers looking for a better way to manage their online properties can turn to Radiate Media. The company, which was created after Matchbin acquired NAVTEQ Media Solution’s Radio and Television Group in November 2011, offers digital CMS solutions that make it easy to publish audio and video, send breaking news alerts to readers via SMS, and create websites optimized for the mobile web. Past Matchbin clients include the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Daily Sparks Tribune, and Rome News-Tribune.

7. MediaSpan
Publishers who don’t have any technical experience will appreciate MediaSpan’s “click-to-publish” CMS interface, which allows content producers to set up sites and publish stories to multiple online properties without any HTML knowledge necessary. MediaSpan’s platform supports story commenting, social bookmarking, interactive polls, and content syndication. MediaSpan’s client roster includes large media companies, such as Gannett, Radio One, and Scripps.

Know of other content management systems built with hyperlocal publishers in mind? Leave a description in the comments.

I have been happily using a template called Tidelines, developed over five years ago. My site is MyNaramata.com, and the first Tidelines was/is Cortesisland.com.
It is very simply and somewhat limiting. But it the template let me concentrate on gathering local news content without worrying about formatting, etc.

Tidelines rents for $25/month.

http://twitter.com/GetLocable locable

I’m usually not this overtly self-promoting in comments but Locable definitely falls into the CMS category. We’ve recently released our second generation publishing platform after working with local publishers, generally community magazines, to extend their brands online for the last few years.

We have an extreme focus on speed and automation to ensure that all of the content – articles, events, business listings etc – does more than coexist but actually works together for a more comprehensive local experience.While the technology is critical we find it falls into the necessary-but-not-sufficient camp as in most publishers need a partner that goes beyond the technology itself to operations and monetization… they need to be part of a network.You can read more about the Locable Approach at http://locable.com/blog/the-locable-approach-for-publishers/ and if you’re a local publisher we’re happy to show you what make Locable so unique.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000117240039 Jake Bauer

d

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000117240039 Jake Bauer

Does anyone use Metro Publisher? How would you rate it? What do you like and dislike? I’m currently using WordPress and plug-ins for my site, but have quickly outgrown it..

http://twitter.com/GetLocable locable

Being a competitor of sorts I’m not exactly unbiased though I’ve heard good things about Metro Publisher.

I think your point about WordPress is insightful, we originally sought to use WordPress but while it can do almost anything you want it doesn’t do exactly what hyper local sites need to do in a way that works effectively. That’s what led us down the path of creating our own publishing platform which is now, as it turns out, much more than a site publishing platform.

I’m happy to share more if you’re interested. Brian.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000117240039 Jake Bauer

Or if you use one of the other ones, which one and how would you rate it..

http://twitter.com/pointtweets GatheringPoint Team

Openblockproject.org looks interesting. It’s an open source project based on everyblock’s technology. We’ve looked at it for integration with gatheringpoint.com.

tran longmoore

NodeStream and Open Publish are two Drupal-based distributions that are free an can be tailored to your needs.

I’m
not a huge fan of most CMS’s to start with but when I installed
Doptor
CMS,
opened up the files and looked through them, I was amazed at how easy
everything was. It was the fastest learning process I ever had with
learning the template system.

WJO

Creative Circle Media Solutions, is another newspaper CMS provider. They are considerably more innovative and customizable than the systems you describe here. They were the first CMS platform for hyper-local, the first to have a pay wall, the first to provide reverse publishing, the first to provide flexible templates to better reflect the news.

Their platforms, communityQ and mediasiteQ, come with a custom design, consulting support and an innovative, self-service ad platform called QuickAds specifically designed for hyper-locals. It’s all easy to run and much more sophisticated than anything described here.

Creative Circle provides all the IT support you need at prices well below companies like Radiate Media and MediaSpan (now Newscycle).